Where I Belong
by mellabarella
Summary: Paige Smith's life before she moved to Ramsey Street: She's going out clubbing most nights with her friends, trying to forget about lying boyfriends, disloyal friends and absent parents. But then her brother Ethan shows up with some life-changing news...


"NO TIME FOR LOSERS, 'COS WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS…" Paige Smith sang at the top of her lungs. She and a group of friends from school were at the city's hottest club – _Enhance._ Paige clunked her bottle of alcohol against her friend, Kenny's. They'd known each other since they were in nursery. "WOO-HOO! Let's get this party started!" Kenny chimed, shaking her blonde curls. The rest of the group cheered in agreement. Another friend, Frankie, went to get more drinks as the two girls made their way to the dancefloor. Now neither could dance particularly well, but neither of them cared either. They were completely out of tune with the music and were probably using moves that even people in the eighties wouldn't! Just as they were having fun, someone had to rain on their parade. A guy, quite heavily built and with a creepy grin on his face decided to have a squeeze of Kenny's bum. Kenny, always being the relaxed type, laughed the incident off. Though when he did it the second time, Paige wasn't so calm about it. "Hey dude! Back off will you!" she shouted at him, the music blaring in the background.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?" The big guy replied chuckling.

"I'll smash your face in, that's what I'll do!"

"Shut up and sit down little girl, you clearly can't handle a bit of fun."

And with that, Paige lunged at the guy scratching at his face with her freshly manicured nails. He yelped in pain and they both tumbled to the ground. The crowd moved back in shock and it wasn't long before Frankie pulled Paige away from the guy and security had arrived.

* * *

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Kenny complained on the car ride home. "I can't believe you actually got us banned – again – for the third time!"

Paige turned to her friend angrily "that guy had it coming and you know it!"

"So? What are you? _Paige The Defender of Womankind_? Get over it! Some guys are sleazebags!"

"And we should all just stand there and take it, is that what you're saying?"

Kenny was suddenly quiet as she realised why Paige was so upset. _Riley_.

"Oh Paige…look Riley was a idiot. He didn't deserve you."

"You're damn right he didn't." Paige said through clenched teeth.

"I reckon we've all had enough for one night." Frankie said as he turned into Kenny's driveway.

"Where's everyone else anyway?" Paige wondered.

"Still at the club." Kenny and Frankie said at the same time before bursting into laughter. Paige looked at the two of them. She'd noticed that they'd been getting a lot closer lately.

"Well…they're idiots too." She replied.

Frankie parked his car near the pavement and the girls undid their seatbelts. "Thanks for the ride Franks." Kenny said, a big grin all over her face.

"Thanks Frankie." Paige joined in, before giving him a kiss on his freckled cheek.

Frankie smiled. "Well thank you too!"

The girls got out of the car. Paige bent her head through Frankie's window to say "See ya later Red." He then waved goodybe and drove off.

As the two of them walked towards Kenny's house, she said, "Why do you call him that?"

"What?"

"Red?"

"It's just a nickname, you know 'cos he has-"

"Red hair, I know. But don't you think it's a little offensive? I mean redheads get enough grief in life without their so called friends making it obvious that they're…what?"

Paige was now laughing hysterically. "You've totally got the hots for him!"

"I do not!" Kenny said defensively, as she opened the door to her house.

Whilst Paige's parents were emotionally distant, Kenny's were loving but open-minded. She could go out at night as long she messaged them every once in a while to let them know she was ok and came home with a friend. "Shh..Mum and Dad are asleep." Kenny whispered as they tiptoed upstairs to her room. When Kenny closed the door gently behind them, Paige collasped onto her bed.

"I am sooooo tired."

"So I am. I need a shower."

"Errr…me first. I'm the one that got up close and personal with that creepy dude, who smelt of B.O. by the way!"

"Since you got us banned, you can wait." Kenny grabbed her towel and went into the bathroom. Soon after, Paige heard the sound of water. She checked her phone for messages. They were mainly from overly eager guys who were only after one thing and her friends from the club asking if she was alright. She scoffed. If they really cared about her they would have stayed. She locked her phone and before she knew it her eyes were droopy with sleep.

* * *

Paige woke up to the sound of Kenny calling her name and the sun shining in her eyes. "Ow." She said, slowly sitting up. Her head was throbbing. "Need a little something to ease the pain?" Paige took the packet of asprin pills from Kenny's hand. Kenny also gave her a glass of water. She gulped as she swallowed the pill. "So, I just thought I'd let you know that Ethan's here."

"What? When did he get here?" Paige's head felt like it was heavy.

"Around one o'clock, of course I told him you were asleep."

Paige groaned, for someone who had drank more than her Kenny was way too alert.

"And what time is it now?"

"Three."

Paige rose up from the bed but much too quickly as she had to sit back down.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Everyone needs their beauty sleep."

"Can you just call tell him I'm awake now? I'm going to have a shower."

Paige went into the bathroom and with her head against the tiles it felt as if the water was washing everything away. The fact that her parents never seemed to love her enough, when Riley cheated on her. She turned off the water and stepped out.

Later on, after getting dressed, she made her way downstairs. Kenny had left a note saying she was off to the shops. She hadn't exactly planned on staying at Kenny's so she'd borrowed some of her clothes: a dark green jumpsuit with a black top inside and some black boots. Sitting on Kenny's sofa playing on Xbox, was Ethan.

"Hey Ethan." She said but he didn't hear her over the sound of guns firing in the game. "ETHAN!" she shouted. He turned and saw her.

"Oh hey sis."

"Why are you here?"

"That's not the way to greet your only brother."

"Ok, clearly you've just come to annoy me." Paige turned to leave but Ethan shouted after her.

"I found something out…"

Paige stopped. "About what?"

"Your parents…your _real_ parents."

Paige spun around and was surprised to see Ethan standing in front of her.

"Well, you know how we still rent out our old house to people?"

Paige nodded. "I was there the other day because Mum wanted me to check something and…the guy I _think_ was your Dad turned up."

She was shocked. After years of wondering who she really was, the confrontation about her identity with her parents and now, finally she could get some answers. "What happened?" she asked, moving back to the sofa so she could sit down.

"He was asking about Mum…Mary Smith. And if she and Dad had ever had a daughter."

"But you told him they hadn't." Paige finished. Ethan nodded. She took a deep breath. This was exactly what she needed. Her parents had complained when she told them she wasn't interested in uni, or even working for her Dad. She was ready to move to Sydney with Riley when he went to uni. They were in love, they were on a new adventure. Then the day before they left, she discovered he'd slept with her friend Gina "a momentary weakness" Riley had called it. But Paige knew it was all lies. She bit her lip as she could feel that she was about to cry and she herself hated for being weak, for being vulnerable. And now here she was occassionally staying with Kenny whilst she went to uni. Paige knew her life needed to change. She was tired of the promises her parents had made to her, only to break them again and again. She was tired of guys using her and friends betraying her. It was time to get out of town. It was time to reinvent herself. She took a deep breath.

"We have to find him." She said.


End file.
